How Mastering a Design Skill Can Help You Scale Your Digital Planner Business

What makes your planner designs unique? Is it the attention to detail, or maybe the thoughtful organization that turns daily routines into enjoyable journeys? Whatever your niche, your designs turn heads and make people say "I want that".

Now picture this: you're not just using these design skills to create your bestselling digital planners, but you can increase your impact and help other like-minded creatives turn their signature processes into digital planners. With your expertise, their workflows become beautiful, tailored planners that reflect their brand and the journey their methods take their clients on.

Maybe you're saying, "Wait a minute, it sounds like you skipped a few steps." How do you go from designing planners for your online shop to booking four-figure clients designing their digital products? The answer is a simple three-step process.

Identify what makes your planner design skills unique
Use these skills to help turn other’s signature processes into signature planners
Bridge the gap between these steps with the perfect packages and pricing

Let's dive into these three steps so you can take advantage of the opportunities you have to scale your business when you leverage your design skills and offer a unique set of services.

Identify What Makes Your Planner Design Skills Unique

Every artist has their signature style – one unique feature that makes their work recognizable and stand out from everyone else. As a designer, your brand's personal style can have that same trademark effect on those who come across your work. So take a step back and reflect on your personal style. Think about what sets your digital stationery designs apart from the rest. Is it your love for intricate patterns, your knack for minimalist layouts, or your talent for blending colors in unexpected ways?

It's not just about how your designs turn out that makes them special, it's also about all the forethought that goes into them. Some artists are inspired by their own experiences, others by nature, and even others by people! What influences your designs? Maybe it's the beauty of nature, the hustle of city life, or what you observe while sipping your go-to drink in your favorite cafe. When you know what inspires you, you can develop a signature style that people will want to hire you for since it can't be found anywhere else in the online world!

Let's take a step beyond what just simply looks good and think about what you are good at. Maybe you have an eye for typography – choosing the right fonts to set the mood of the planner you're creating. Or maybe you're an expert at drawing illustrations that help a planner user romanticize the little moments of life. Your strengths could even lie in taking a messy idea or jumble of thoughts and turning it into an intuitive, functional layout. Embrace these strengths, they could be the very things your target audience is struggling with and is looking for in a designer!

Last but certainly not least, it's important to think about your audience. Who are you attracting with the planners you are designing? What kind of person may be sitting in your audience, just waiting for you to announce that you're taking on 1:1 clients to bring their planner ideas to life? When you know the kind of person you want to work with, you can identify their needs, pain points, and desires to create packages they can't refuse.

>> Psst! Wondering if offering custom design services is really worth it? Check out this blog post about the ROI your clients will get from hiring you!

How your skills can turn a signature process into a signature planner

Now that you've identified what makes your planner design skills unique, let's talk about how you can take those skills to the next level. You can use all the information you gathered in the last step to use your design process to turn other business owners turn their signature process into a signature planner.

Let's take a minute to think about the far-reaching impact this could have. Put yourself in the shoes of a service provider for just a moment...

As a service provider, there are only so many clients you can take on at a time. What can you do once you reach full capacity? Maybe you create a waitlist so that when you have an opening in your schedule, you can help another person. Maybe you create a course so that people don't have to wait to work with you and can teach themselves. The thing is, both of these options are usually extremely structured offerings that come with a heavier price tag. How many people would love to work with you or take your course but it's just outside of their budget?

Now what if you had the opportunity to break down your signature method into simple steps that could be turned into a digital planner? This is a budget-friendly option for a digital product that could help an unlimited number of people!

>> Psst! Learn more about the design process of turning a signature method into a digital planner in this blog post.

Coming back to reality, offering digital planner design services allows you to work with business owners in a variety of niches across the online space to create digital designs that can help more people from all sorts of backgrounds. How amazing would that be?

But how do you do this? It's all about understanding the essence of your dream client's brand, their workflows, and their goals. Start by having a conversation to uncover what makes their processes special. What sets them apart from the competition? What are their values and goals?

Once you have a clear understanding of their signature processes, it's time to translate that into planner form. Think about how you can organize their workflows in a way that's not only functional but also visually appealing.

Remember, they chose you as their digital planner designer because they loved the style of digital products you create. So don't be afraid to infuse your unique design style and get creative! Add some illustrations, stickers, or patterns into your design process, and let your imagination run wild as you bring their signature process to life through the perfect digital planner.

By using your skills to help turn others' signature processes into signature planners, you're not just creating a product—you're creating a powerful tool that reflects their brand, enhances their workflows, and adds value to their lives and their potential customers!

Bridge the gap with packaging & pricing

This may all sound great and exciting, but how can you make it a reality? Adding a new stream of income to your business can be intimidating, but the possibility of increasing the impact you have on others while also increasing the amount of money coming into your business is so worth it!

The final part of this three-step process to mastering a design skill that will help you scale your digital stationery business is packaging and pricing your new services...

Your packages should be designed to meet the unique needs of your clients while also showcasing the value of your services. Think about what services you offer, how they align with your client's needs, and how you can bundle them together in a way that's both appealing and easy to understand.
Pricing your services is all about charging your worth while also realizing the asset you're creating for someone else. You're building something that they can sell an unlimited number of times! Think about what investment is worth that opportunity. Don't forget to take into account things like the time and expertise required for each project, the value you're providing to your clients, and the current market rates for similar services.

>> Psst! Inside our course the ‘Planner Design Services Mastery’ (more details below!), we provide you with a pricing calculator that will help you price your signature package and any add-on services you offer! Learn more about the course here.

But remember, putting your service offerings together isn't all about the numbers, it's also about how your dream clients are going to perceive you. Make sure your package options and pricing reflect the quality of your work and position you as the go-to digital planner designer. Consider offering tiered pricing options to cater to different budgets and needs, and don't be afraid to adjust your pricing as your skills and experience grow!

By bridging the gap between your creative skills, your client's needs, and the practicalities of business with the perfect packages and pricing, you're setting yourself up for success in the world of designing digital planners.

Introducing: Planner Design Services Mastery Course

Now here’s how we can bridge the gap between the design skills you’ve mastered and the opportunity to use them to help even more people develop their signature planner! Planner Design Services Mastery: Steady Income Through Custom Services is a self-paced online course that will teach you everything from pricing to positioning your unique services. It includes four modules that will cover...

Goal setting – get started on the right track by setting intentional, realistic goals that will hold you accountable as you diversify your business with an all-new offering
Defining your services – learn the different types of design services you can offer, how to develop a signature service, and what to charge for your perfect package
Working with clients – this is where it gets from! Learn the ins and outs of client work with modules on everything from project timelines and creating lead forms to putting together proposals, contracts, invoices, and presentations
Day rates & retainers – expand beyond designing digital and physical planners! Learn how to can help even more people through day rate services and monthly design retainers

>> If you'd like to learn more about this course, click here!